The Little Merman Merlin
by XxgawjussemokidxX
Summary: Merlin is a Merman with big dreams of visiting the mainland. When he finally gets his wish, he must be kissed by his true love before the year runs out, in order to live a free and happy life...
1. Chapter 1

"It was a bright blue day...No, that sounds stupid, it's always blue down here." A young boy sighed. He cast his gaze upwards to the surface of the sea, where all his dreams lay. He was no ordinary boy after all, he was a Merman, an important one at that, for he was the son of King Balinor, Ruler of the Seven Seas, Emperor of the Oceans, making this young boy the Prince, which to be honest, scared the seashells out of him.

"What ever are you doing Merlin?" A voice came out of nowhere. Merlin sighed and turned around to face his best friend Lance, a small yellow and blue fish.

"Nothing. As always. I was trying to think of a way to describe this place, but I can't think of anything nice to say... This place is always blue, what else can I say?" Lance patted Merlin on the arm with his fin, saddened by the young Merman's attitude. "You know what? I sometimes wish that I knew what it was like up there." Lance gasped and recoiled in horror.

"You can't say that! What if your father heard you? You know he hates the Upper Beings with a passion, according to him they're Barbarians!"

Merlin looked up sorrowfully. "But how do we know that? He's never even spoken to a surface dweller!"

Lance sighed, "I can't say I know the answers to this, but we'd better get you back before the performance starts, or else you're going to be in so much trouble."

Merlin's eyes widened at the reminder of his debut, and began to rush about, flipping his tail faster than he had ever done before, anxious to make it on time.

* * *

><p>"Merlin!" A loud voice boomed from across the hall. "You're late again! How dare you make an embarrassment out of me in front of our subjects!"<p>

Merlin winced as he floated into the Great Hall where his father was waiting for him. "I'm sorry Father, I was exploring and then I lost track of time, it won't happen again."

King Balinor sighed as he surveyed his son. "Merlin," he started, more gently this time, "you are my son, and as my son, there are some things that you **must **adhere to. You are also the first in a long time to possess the magic of the Sea Dragon, and it is your duty to prove to the Merfolk that you will protect them at all costs, by introducing them to your gifts. That was what today was all about, you let your people down! Go to your room while I think about how to treat this insubordination."

Merlin sighed and swum up to his room, his bright blue tail flipping dejectedly.

Balinor looked towards his advisor, a crab, "Gaius, what should I do? No matter how many times I punish him, he is still irresponsible."

"Well sire, I don't think there is much you can do. You must let him discover his powers on his own, for only then will he truly understand the responsibility he has towards you and Antarctica."

Balinor nodded slowly. "Very well. Gaius, you will watch over him and report back to me his every move."

Gaius gaped at his King. This was not what he had expected, and frankly, he was a little bit insulted. "As you wish sire, I will follow him immediately." Gaius retreated, muttering under his breath something about being a qualified advisor, not a babysitter.

* * *

><p>Merlin looked around his bare room, before gazing towards the distorted view of the land above. Making his mind up, he propelled himself forwards, closer to the world he longed to know. "Merlin! What are you doing?" Lance cried, swimming frantically behind him.<p>

"I'm going to see what it's like closer to land! It's an adventure Lance, let's just enjoy it!" Merlin cried, spinning through the water. Eventually his head broke through the surface and he gasped as he took in a breath of air.

Everything looked so differently, the surface dwellers were moving in a different way, using two limbs that Merlin did not possess. Legs? They were walking, Merlin recalled from his lessons with Gwaine, a scatty seagull.

"Ahoy there Merlin!" said seagull screeched from above his head. "What are you doing so far away from home, and so near to the shore?"

"He's done it again," Lance muttered, "he's left the Palace without telling anyone. Oh the King will be furious when he finds out!"

Merlin grinned. "I just had to see what they were like up close, these Hu Mans? I wanted to see whether what father said was rue, but they don't look like Barbarians..."

Gwaine cocked his head to the side and half smirked (an impressive feat for a bird), "They're not Barbarians! They're celebrating the arrival of the King and his son, look! That's their ship way out in the distance!"

Merlin turned around and grinned as he saw a great ship getting closer and closer. Now, being the curious free spirit that he is, Merlin decided to swim closer and get a good look at the humans on board.

There was loud music playing as Merlin hauled himself onto the deck, hiding close to the exit, just watching in amazement as the entire crew danced along to the music. A grin spread across his face as he watched the pure joy on each of these men's face become evident.

His gaze was eventually drawn to a young man sitting on a barrel, petting some kind of furry thing. Merlin's breath was taken away at the sheer beauty that was this man. He had blonde wavy hair that fell naturally across his stormy blue eyes, a tall figure with a toned body to match. Merlin felt his heart pick up as he continued to watch him.

"That's Prince Arthur," Gwaine said loudly into his ear, following the direction of his gaze, "and that's his pet dog, Max. That man bent over the side? That's his father King Uther. He's never really been one for sea travel."

Merlin raised an eyebrow at how much Gwaine knew about the Prince, before ducking down as the Prince and his father walked closer to his hiding place.

"Arthur, the whole reason of this journey was so you could find a husband or wife. When will you choose someone and settle down?" Uther asked his son exasperatedly.

Arthur looked up, "Father, you know where I stand on this, I want to marry for love, and not for any other reason. When I find them, that is when I will announce my marriage."

Uther sighed as he watched his son stare up into the sky, watching the fireworks that had been set off.

Merlin also watched in awe as the fireworks illuminated the contours of the young Prince's face, wishing that he could do the same. Holding out his palm, he focussed his energy into recreating the bright lights he had just seen. "_Soilse doiteain._" His eyes glowed gold, and sparks of every colour flew into the sky, creating an even more beautiful effect than the fireworks before. Merlin let out a childish laugh before throwing himself into the water, as the Prince turned around, trying to find the source of the laughter.

As Merlin began to swim back to his Palace, he heard a panicked shout. Turning around he screamed as he saw the ship he was previously on go up in flames. He swam towards the burning wreck, anxious to find his Prince, wanting to make sure that he was okay. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of blonde before it disappeared into the murky depths of the sea.


	2. Chapter 2

This wasn't how he was supposed to die. Drowning seemed an ironic way to die, considering Arthur loved the sea more than anything in his life. It was his life, the only thing he had which connected him to his late mother. Fate had a cruel way of connecting people, he mused, considering this was how his mother died. His father of course, hated the sea, and all that came with it - the myths and legends, the ludicrous idea that magic even existed (something that Arthur snorted at whenever his father brought it up).

Arthur saw the bubbles of air before he felt the stabbing pain in his lungs. He tried his hardest to maintain what little amount of oxygen he had remaining, panicking slightly when he felt his eyes slowly close, everything around him becoming cloudy and blurry, as he struggled to maintain consciousness. Before he lost consciousness completely, he noticed a figure swimming strongly towards him, a pair of golden eyes in front of his face as he felt himself being propelled upwards.

* * *

><p>Merlin sighed in relief as he reached the shore with Arthur under his arm. Flopping to the ground he placed his eyes over Arthur's chest and once more allowed his eyes to flash - a bright light emanating from his hands, spreading across Arthur's body.<p>

He laughed as he felt Arthur's chest heave, hearing him cough only succeeded in making his smile grow wider. He loomed over Arthur's face, blocking the sun's rays, creating a silhouette for Arthur to look at.

"What happened?" Arthur muttered, opening his eyes blearily, looking up at a strange face. He couldn't see much due to the amount of salt water his eyes seemed to have absorbed, but he could see a face with impossibly prominent cheekbones, and a killer smile that took Arthur's breath away. "Who - ?" Arthur trailed off as he heard barking in the distance.

Merlin looked up in shock and dived into the ocean, whilst Arthur's attention was elsewhere.

Arthur jumped up when he heard a splash come from the now calm sea. "No wait! Come back, I don't know anything about you!" By this point he has waded into the shallow sea, crying out for his 'saviour', the one person he felt a pull towards. "Please?" He whispered as the barking got nearer. Suddenly, he sound himself completely drenched again as his dog pounced on his back, pushing him into the water. Arthur absent mindedly petted his as they walked back to shore, where his anxious looking father was waiting for him.

Merlin sighed from his place behind a rock, watching as his Prince walked slowly to the mainland, his ears ringing with the plea he had heard from Arthur. "Merlin please, we have to get back, your father probably already knows that you're missing." Lance whispered watching Merlin's wistful expression.

Merlin nodded lifelessly and followed Lance towards Antarctica, pausing every now and then to turn and look at the bright world above them. As they swum towards the Palace, Lance was blinded by the sun glinting off of something half buried in the sea bed. "I'M BLIND!" he squealed, swimming around in a circle, one fin covering his eye.

Merlin winced at the high pitched squeal before moving closer to examine the strange object. It was a round metallic emblem attached to a simple cord, entranced, Merlin picked it up and held it close to his face. Looking closely he recognised it to be the same one as the one his Prince had been wearing. Elated that he had a memento of Arthur, Merlin's smile grew bigger as he started to swim faster, letting out a loud bark of joy before he crashed into his father.

"Father I - "

"You deliberately disobeyed me and left the Palace, Merlin! And for what? To see what those Barbarians are like? They kill creatures like us! They're dangerous!"

"How would you know?" Merlin choked, "you've never even spoken to them!"

"ENOUGH!" Balinor roared. "You disobeyed my orders, and saved one of them! You should have let him die, he has nothing to do with you!"

"I love him!" Merlin cried, recoiling in shock at what he had blurted out. But yes, that was the feeling was, he was in love with Prince Arthur, he was in love with a human, he was in love with everything that his father hated.

Balinor glared at him, a fire burning in his eyes. "You cannot love him, I forbid it!" He snatched the emblem out of Merlin's hand and threw it up, aiming his Trident at it.

"NO!" Merlin shouted, reaching forward, as a bolt of red energy flew towards Arthur's emblem, breaking it into little pieces. Merlin thrust himself at the floating remains of the emblem and sunk to the floor, clutching the largest piece close to his chest. He looked up at his father, his glasz eyes full of an emotion Balinor had never seen in Merlin before - anger, sadness... Betrayal.

"I hate you." Merlin said clearly. "I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!" He lay face first onto the sandy bed, heart wrenching sobs being torn from his chest.

Balinor stared at his only son's shuddering back, unsure of what to do, conflicted between his anger, and love for his son. Gaius peered up at him and shook his head slowly. "That was probably not the best way to handle this situation Sire." Balinor bowed his head, and drifted off towards the Throne Room to think about the day's events.

Gaius crawled up to Merlin, "I'm sorry m'boy, but I had to tell him." He apologised, reaching out to touch Merlin with his claw.

"Leave me alone Gaius." He mumbled, his words muffled by his arm.

Gaius looked at Lance and motioned for him to keep an eye on the distraught merman.


	3. Chapter 3

"Merlin?" Lance whispered once they were alone. He swum forward trying to get his best friend's attention, only to be shrugged away like everyone else.

Merlin looked up when he felt an unknown presence wash over him. "Poor boy," a voice hissed from above him, "unable to be with the one he loves. If only there was a way to be with him?"

"There is a way," another voice replied, "but will he follow us?"

Merlin looked up, intrigued by what the voices were saying. "What do you mean? How is it possible for me to be with him?"

The two voices came into view, and Merlin frowned at the two eels that he saw. He was conflicted, eels were known for their cunning and evil tendencies, should he follow them or stay behind and be unhappy forever? Making up his mind, he sat up and followed the eels to a part of the ocean he had never dared to visit before. "The Sea Witch?" Merlin wondered out loud, "I shouldn't, she's dangerous..."

The two eels turned around and smiled creepily. "She's the only one who can give you your heart's desire, surely you want to be with him more than anything?" they hissed. Merlin bit his lip as they ventured into a huge cavern hidden by seaweed and anemones. He glanced around looking at the sea plants he had never seen before, wondering what they were. They were beautiful in a strange, evil way, they were colourful and swayed with the current, but there was an air of darkness around them, an aura he had never encountered before.

"Merlin, we finally get the chance to meet." a female voice emitted from the darkness. "I can see your hearts desire, I know what it is you want, and I can give it to you...for a price."

As Merlin's eyes adjusted to the darkness, he made out the outline of a female mermaid, her tail long and the colour of darkness, a mix of navy and black, setting her apart from all the merfolk that he knew and was friendly with. "Hello...um Sea Witch?" he asked hesitantly, unsure of how to address her.

The Sea Witch laughed, throwing her head back, shoulders shaking. "Merlin, dear sweet Merlin, you can call me Nimueh. After all, I knew your mother very well, we were practically family." she smiled invitingly at the young merman.

"You knew my mother?" Merlin asked warily, his father rarely spoke of her, and when he did it was in context of insulting the humans as they were the ones responsible for his Queen's death.

Nimueh nodded, "But that isn't why you're here is it Merlin? You're here because you want to be able to be with the man you love. I can make that happen, but only if you agree."

Merlin looked around his surroundings. "You can... you can make me human?"

A slow smile curled onto Nimueh's face, "Oh yes, I can give you legs, but it comes at a price. In order for you to get legs, I must get something in exchange... Nothing's free in this world after all."

Merlin frowned. "What would I have to give you?" he asked hesitantly.

The Sea Witch grinned, "Two things, in exchange for two legs. I want your voice, and if you fail to win the Prince's heart after a month, I want you."

"Me?"

"You, Merlin. Just you, nothing else. What do you say?"

Merlin paused, thinking over this offer. "So if I can't get him to love me after a month, I have to - "

"Do you not trust that he will love you?" Nimueh interrupted his train of thought.

"But without my voice - "

"You have your looks, and don't underestimate body language! Or do you not love him enough to leave everything behind?" Nimueh whispered into his ear. Merlin closed his eyes and took in a deep breath.

"Okay. I agree to this exchange."

Nimueh laughed loudly, and bustled around her cavern collecting jars of odd parts of sea creatures before returning to the altar she had set up. Throwing in the jars, she started chanting in the Ancient Language, her eyes glowing gold as the potion started to bubble. "Now Merlin, all I need is a drop of your blood." She reached for his hand, and sliced across his palm with a shard of coral. Merlin watched in fascination and fear as his blood dripped into the altar, causing the potion to bubble, and hiss as Nimueh collected some in an oyster shell. "Drink." she commanded.

Merlin reached forward and took the shell out of her hands. "Merlin, no!" Lance shouted from behind him, accompanied by Gaius. Merlin raised the shell in apology and drank it down before Lance could reach him. Suddenly, Merlin curled up, bringing his tail to his chest, extreme pain and anguish etched onto his face, he tried to scream but all that came out was a large bubble of air. Panicking, Merlin moved his arms, trying to pull himself to the surface, attempting to ignore the pain of his tail being split down the middle. Instinctively, as his legs were forming, Merlin started to kick, pushing himself towards the surface as Lance tucked himself under Merlin's arm, helping to push him forwards.

Eventually Merlin's head broke the surface of the ocean, gasping for breath, trying to speak, not making a sound. Gaius appeared next to him. "The cheek of that woman! Merlin, how could you be so stupid as to visit the Sea Witch? I have to tell your father!" he ranted, ducking his head under water. Merlin's eyes widened as he plunged his hands under Gaius and pulled him out of the water, shaking his head frantically. "But he has to know..." Gaius trailed off, as he looked at Merlin's blue eyes, imploring him silently to keep this a secret.

Lance grinned, "Merlin, you have legs!" he swum around them laughing at the oddity that Merlin had instead of a tail. Merlin looked down and let out a silent yelp of joy. He pulled himself upright, trying to stand on his new limbs. He managed to stay standing for a moment, before tottering and falling back into the sea. Gaius face-clawed and sighed,

"We're going to have to do a lot of practice if we're going to get you your Prince."

Merlin looked at him, a brilliant smile on his face as he registered what Gaius said.


	4. Chapter 4

Gwaine was happily circling the sky keeping an eye out on the Prince, when he saw a familiar black haired boy below. Smiling to himself, he swooped down and landed on his leg. "Merlin! Good to see you on the surface again, what are we going to do today?" he asked jovially. Merlin, Gaius and Lance stared at Gwaine, eyes wide, and jaws open. "What? Is there something on my beak?" Gwaine asked suddenly paranoid, turning around in a circle, trying to find anything wrong with his appearance.

"Idiot." Lance muttered, rolling his eyes.

Gwaine looked at Merlin intensely. "There's something different about you. I just can't put my foot on it." Merlin opened his mouth, "No, don't tell me. It's your hair? No no, hmmm what could it be?"

Gaius exploded angrily, "He's got legs you bird brain! He went to the Sea Witch, and traded his voice for a pair of legs just so he can spend a month with the Prince!" he gasped, taking in a huge breath of air after his rant.

Gwaine blinked. "That is so cool! Now, if you really want to blend in with the humans, I suggest you start wearing clothes. Like this!" He held up a sheet with his beak, and quickly wrapped it around Merlin like a toga, "There! Fashionable!"

Merlin grinned and hugged the seagull tightly. He stood up shakily, and slowly, placing one foot in front of the other began to walk around the beach, experiencing the amazing feeling of sand between his toes. He grinned and started to run around, slowly getting used to the idea of walking and running. Gaius was perched on his shoulder, whilst Lance flipped about in the sea and Gwaine flew around his head. All three of them were grinning at Merlin's infectious grin, looking up in shock as they heard a yell in the distance.

"Max! Get back here, you stupid mutt!" they heard a man yell at a dog that was bounding straight for Merlin. Merlin gasped silently as a shaggy grey dog leapt forward and placed its huge paws on Merlin's shoulders, pushing him to the ground. Merlin laughed silently, a brilliant smile on his face as the dog licked his cheek lavishly.

"Max, you cheeky sod, get off that poor bloke!" The owner cried, embarrassed. "I am so sorry mate, are you alright?" Merlin looked at the hand extended to him, and grasped it, frowning when he felt a weird sensation thrum through him, as though his magic were reacting to the man in front of him. Pulling himself up he looked up at the man's face, and gaped. He was, in this current situation, glad that he had traded his voice, if only because it prevented him from making a fool out of himself in front of his Prince. Of course, that thought was gone as quickly as it had come, for he now had no way to communicate with the beautiful Prince.

* * *

><p>"Are you okay?" Arthur asked the strange man in front of him. He had let go of his hand when he felt the strange spark between the two of them. "You seem familiar, have we met before?"<p>

Merlin looked up in shock at this question before nodding eagerly. "Was it you? Did you save me?" Merlin opened his mouth to speak before remembering that he couldn't. He cast his eyes down before making gestures to explain his lack of voice. "You can't talk?" Merlin nodded sadly, before looking up into Arthur's eyes. "Oh," Arthur whispered as he took in Merlin's bright blue eyes, "you're not who I thought you were...See the person I'm looking for has gold eyes. Sorry for the mistake." he apologised.

Merlin's eyes widened at that, he hadn't realised that Arthur had been awake when he had performed the healing magic on him. It was against all rules to reveal his magic to anyone apart from the Merfolk, only Lance, Gaius and his father knew about his magic, and that was the way it had to stay until he had shown his Mer-people, or had succeeded his father in taking the Throne.

Arthur took in Merlin's bedraggled state and sighed, his heart being pulled towards him for some strange reason. "Well, I'm assuming from your lack of clothes that you don't live around here, and that you have nowhere to go?" Merlin bit his lip and nodded. "Right, well, you can come and live in the castle with me and my family as my guest of course." Merlin looked at him, conveying his gratitude through his expressive blue eyes. Arthur grinned at gestured for him to follow him.

Merlin trailed behind Arthur, pausing to look back at Lance and Gwaine who were grinning and cheering him on from the sea. "Keep your eyes in front." Gaius hissed from his position below Merlin's neck. "We don't want you falling over again." Merlin nodded and quickly turned his attention back to Arthur, and hurried to catch up with him.

* * *

><p>"Father, Morgana, this is Merlin, he will be staying with us for a while as my guest." Arthur announced to his father and step-sister.<p>

Uther raised an eyebrow and inspected the now clothed Merlin. He ran his eye critically over Merlin's outfit, black breeches, a blue tunic, brown jacket and a red neckerchief that Arthur had been unable to convince him not to wear. "Where exactly did you meet...Merlin?"

Arthur balked and fumbled around for an excuse. Morgana grinned, "Uther, surely it doesn't matter where or how they met? If Arthur's happy, then surely we should just let him show dear Merlin around?" she looked meaningfully at Uther.

Uther smirked and nodded. "Very well, nice to meet you Merlin, I hope you enjoy your stay her in Camelot."

Merlin smiled and bowed his head. Arthur cleared his throat. "Oh yes, something I forgot to mention," he started, as the two backed away from the King, "Merlin's mute. He can't talk."


	5. Chapter 5

Nimueh growled as she watched Merlin follow Arthur to the Castle. "How is this possible? He's only been on the surface for an hour!" her eyes flashed a dark, angry gold as her altar exploded. "Cenred, Sophia, keep an eye on Merlin and his friends, he may actually be able to fulfill his side of the agreement." Her eyes narrowed as the two eels swum away. "You will be mine, one way or another Merlin!"

* * *

><p>Merlin grinned as Arthur pulled him away from the Great Hall. "Right Merlin, this is your room, it's right next to mine, if you need anything just barge in." Arthur laughed as Merlin looked around his new room.<p>

Merlin turned around and opened his mouth to speak. _This is amazing, thank you, _was what he wanted to say, and was going to say, when he remembered he couldn't speak. He looked up at Arthur, his bright blue eyes shining with tears, a sad smile on his face.

Arthur's expression fell at Merlin's expression, "Come on Merlin, it's ok that you can't speak, I'm sure you'll get your voice back soon." he said encouragingly. Merlin shook his head slowly. Arthur frowned. Merlin tried to signal that this was permanent, but didn't know how, "You will get your voice back right?" Arthur asked, his eyes widening. Merlin shook his head again, eyes downcast. Arthur bit his lip, deep in thought, "Right. Well, let's just show you around Camelot then." he said, avoiding the sad topic.

Gaius sighed as he watched from the inside of Merlin's pocket. There had to be something he could do, he could pretend to be Merlin's voice, but that would be very awkward after two words. He could sneak away and inform King Balinor of Merlin's predicament, but then Merlin would hate him for life. Or he could 'persuade' (trick/force) Arthur to love him. There's only one thing he can do, help Merlin in the course of the next month to win Arthur's heart.

* * *

><p>Nimueh growled as she monitored Merlin's progress, "How could I be so stupid? Of course he'd rely on pity! Sophia, Cenred! You two are going to help me ruin Merlin's life!" the two eels wrapped themselves around her body, nodding eagerly. "<em>Cas ar an eascann isteach daonna<em>" she muttered as the two eels began to writhe in pain. Their bodies elongated, bones formed with a cracking sound, until there stood before her a petite woman with blonde hair, and a tall handsome man with shoulder length black hair. Grinning, they swam to the surface, intent with ruining Merlin's plans.

* * *

><p>"Arthur!" a feminine voice cried. Arthur turned around to look at his Step sister Morgana.<p>

"What is it 'Gana?" he sighed tiredly, "I'm meant to be meeting Merlin in the courtyard."

Morgana smiled fondly at her younger brother. "Merlin's going to have to wait I'm afraid. Uther has some unexpected guests, and he wants you to look after them for the entirety of their stay."

Arthur groaned, "How long are they staying for?"

Morgana frowned, "Around a month they said. I don't know, just be careful will you, there's something not quite right about these two." she trailed off, her eyes glazing over for a moment. Arthur poked his sister out of her trance and looked at her with concern. "I'm alright," Morgana grinned, "go see Uther before he goes crazy, he's in the Throne Room with our...visitors."

Arthur sighed and padded off in the opposite direction to Morgana, hoping to get this meeting over and done with so that he could get to Merlin quicker. Morgana watched him go, with a frown on her face. She didn't trust the newcomers, but there was nothing she could do about. Rolling her eyes, she hurried to the Courtyard to get to know Merlin better.

* * *

><p>Merlin was sitting in the Courtyard, admiring the beautiful flowers that surrounded him, amazed that such beauty couldn't be found under the sea. He took in the flowery scent, still reeling from the idea that he had never smelt anything so perfect before. A shadow fell across the flowers, Merlin looked up pleasantly surprised to see Morgana instead of Arthur. "Hello Merlin." Morgana smiled. Merlin looked at her closely, there was a familiar aura surrounding her figure. She was very beautiful, she had long dark hair, pale skin, and blue eyes. Honestly? She looked just like a female version of him, maybe that was why he felt so at ease around her?<p>

"Merlin dear, I'm very sorry, but Arthur has some unexpected duties to carry out before he can come to meet you. So, if it's alright with you, I'd like to give you a tour and get to know you better?" Merlin looked up, and nodded eagerly, glad to make some new friends, even though he had planned to spend every moment he could with Arthur, hoping that he would fall in love with him.

Morgana smiled at his eagerness, admiring the way his hair flopped into his face like an adorable puppy. She held out her hand for Merlin to take, and pulled him towards the Gate. "Come on Merlin, I'll show you the Lower Parts of Camelot." Merlin followed her quick pace, making sure that Gaius was still tucked into his shirt.

As Morgana reached the Lower Town, she gripped her head in pain as her eyes turned golden. Merlin gaped at her golden eyes, completely in shock that a human could possess the same type of magic that he did. He snapped out of his shock and rubbed her back until the pain subsided. Morgana looked up, tears in her eyes, "Sorry, I don't know what came over me." Merlin smiled. He wasn't sure how to approach the topic of magic, especially when he couldn't speak, and **especially **considering Uther hated anything to do with magic. He settled with watching her for now, making sure that the magic didn't take over her.

Gaius on the other hand, studied Morgana with interest. She could be a useful ally, and could help Merlin win Arthur over. But how was he going to gain her trust? He was, after all, a crab.


	6. Chapter 6

Uther set down his wine goblet cheerfully as Arthur entered the Throne Room looking thoroughly disgruntled. "Ah, Arthur, I would like you to meet lady Sophia and her brother Lord Cenred. They are our guests for as long as it pleases them, and I need you to look after them."

"But Father, what about Merlin?" Arthur protested feebly.

"Merlin, will be fine, I'm sure Morgana will take good care of him." Uther replied coldly, silently daring Arthur to talk back. Arthur gulped as his mind conjured up all kinds of images of what his evil stepsister would do to Merlin. She could corrupt his innocent mind, or worse, she could turn Merlin to the dark side. There was _no way _that he was going to let her get her hands on Merlin. But there was no way he could disobey his father...He'd have to figure something out.

* * *

><p>Merlin looked around amazement as he took in all the stalls covered with vibrant colours and foods that he had never seen before, let alone tasted. He was drawn in by the fantastic smells, his hands reaching out to take some away with him. "Hey! You going to pay for that?" A burly, beer bellied man cried in anger as Merlin reached for a shiny apple. Merlin looked up, and tilted his head in a questioning manner. "You have to pay for that apple." the man explained, reaching for Merlin's hands, "if you don't pay, you lose a hand." he explained calmly, bringing out a large silver knife. Merlin gaped at the weapon and started to struggle, trying to pull away from his strong grip.<p>

Suddenly, a hand gripped the vendors arm, "I wouldn't do that if I were you." Morgana said in a deadly manner. The vendor stuttered at the presence of the Lady and released Merlin's arm.

"My Lady, I'm sorry, but he was stealing my fruit, and you know the laws on thievery." he tried to explain.

"This man is my guest, I will pay for anything that he wants. No harm shall come to him whilst he is under my care." Morgana announced to the Lower Courtyard, where she had garnered quite a crowd from the spectacle. "Come along, Merlin." she said, as she walked away.

Merlin followed her quickly, the apple still clutched in his hand. "Honestly Merlin, have you never eaten an apple before?" Morgana sighed when she noticed him staring at the fruit with reverence. Merlin looked at her with his childish blue eyes and shook his head slowly. Morgana's jaw dropped. "Where did you come from?" she asked fondly, as Merlin took a large bite and grinned at the sweet flavour.

"Antarctica." a voice answered her. Morgana looked around for the source of the voice, whilst Merlin choked on the piece of apple that he was chewing. "Down here your ladyship."

Morgana looked down at her feet and blinked.

Once.

Twice.

Three times just to be sure.

"A crab." she muttered. "A crab is talking to me. Oh Arthur would just love this. He would love to see me finally go crazy just like he always said I would. There's no way this can be happening to me!" she ranted, pausing when she saw Merlin glaring at the crab, whilst the crab made some gestures with his claws. She frowned as Merlin shook his head resolutely, before giving up and looking at Morgana apologetically. "Merlin? I'm not dreaming am I?"

Merlin shook his head and brought the crab closer to her face. "Lady Morgana. I am Gaius, Advisor to King Balinor, Emperor of the Seven Seas, Ruler of Antarctica and so forth." Gaius introduced himself pompously.

"Oh er...hi?"

"We are in desperate need of your help, as Merlin here did something stupid and has to fix it before he loses everything." Morgana nodded slowly, wondering whether she had finally lost it - she was after all, conversing with a crab.

* * *

><p>Nimueh cackled with glee as she saw Sophia and Cenred take up all of Arthur's time thus keeping him away from Merlin, ensuring that she would be the victor in this deal. With Arthur occupied, she felt no need to watch over Merlin, there was nothing he could do anyway, he was just a pathetic merman without a tail.<p>

* * *

><p>"...And that is why we need your help." Gaius finished explaining to Morgana.<p>

"Right, so let me get this straight. Merlin is a merman who happens to be a Prince. He saved Arthur from drowning. He has magic. He made a deal with a Sea Witch to get human legs. He has to get Arthur to fall in love with him within a month or he becomes the property of the Sea Witch. And worst of all. _Worst _of all, you're in **love **with Arthur?" she directed at Merlin who nodded. "Are you insane? How can you love Arthur of all people?"

Merlin blinked at Morgana's outburst. Out of everything Gaius had just told her, she took away the fact that he was in love with Arthur? At least he knew he could trust her.

Morgana looked at his confused face. "Okay, for some reason, I believe you. But, could you show me your magic, just so I know I'm not going crazy?" she asked quietly.

Merlin bit his lip and focussed on the wilting flower that was lying on the side of the road. His eyes flashed gold and the flower slowly bloomed again, regaining the white colour it had lost. He picked it up and handed it shyly to Morgana, blushing slightly as she gasped in amazement. "That is...that is amazing! How can Uther say that magic is evil?" she ranted.

Gaius inched closer, "One more thing...you might want to know...we think that you might...have...magic?" he squeaked at the end as Morgana rounded on him.

"Me? I have magic?" Morgana laughed, "I think I'd most likely be dead if I had magic. Uther would have killed me at the first sign of it."

Gaius nodded. "Yes, but your powers seem to be manifesting late in life. Those headaches and black outs you keep getting? They're synonymous with Seers. People who can see the future, except I've never seen a human with these powers. You're a very special person Morgana." he explained gravely.

Merlin suddenly jumped up, pointing to the distance where a body that could just be made out as Arthur's was slowly coming towards them. Merlin's grin fell as he saw him accompanied by two beautiful people.


	7. Chapter 7

Sophia giggled at the anecdote that Arthur had said about the Gardens, and batted at his arm girlishly. Cenred nudged Sophia and nodded his head towards the distance, a small smirk gracing his features. Sophia looked in the direction he was looking and grinned evilly. As they neared Merlin and Morgana, Sophia tripped over an imaginary rock, falling into Arthur. Arthur, saved by his finely honed reflexes, reacted quickly and stopped her fall by placing his hands on either side of her waist, pulling her flush against his body.

* * *

><p>Merlin frowned as he saw Arthur pull Sophia against his body. His face fell and he turned away. Morgana looked up and hissed, "That little tramp." she stood up angrily, "How dare she? How dare she come here and ruin your chance?" Merlin raised a hand to placate her as Arthur and the strangers got closer to them.<p>

"Ah Merlin, there you are!" Arthur cried, relief evident in his voice. "I'd like you to meet Lady Sophia and Lord Cenred, they are visiting us for a month or so." he introduced them. Merlin tilted his head adorably, trying to figure out why these people seemed so familiar. Arthur pulled Merlin into a friendly hug, whispering into his ear, "You have to save me! These people are the most boring people I have ever met!"

Merlin raised an eyebrow at the young Prince who nodded enthusiastically to convey his absolute boredom with their visitors. Shrugging, he shook his head, pointing at Morgana apologetically. _At least I know he doesn't 'like' either of them. _Arthur turned to face Morgana, desperation in his features. "Please 'Gana?"

Morgana smirked evilly at her brother's plea and shook her head. "I'm sorry Arthur, but Uther requested you specifically. I'm quite content showing Merlin around, now if you don't mind, we'll see you at dinner." With that, she turned on her heel, grabbing Merlin's wrist as she passed, pulling him towards the beach where Arthur had found him.

* * *

><p>Arthur stared after his head strong, devious sister, his eye twitching slightly at the obvious rejection. "Oh, Arthur dear, could we stop for a while, I am terribly tired." Sophia simpered, drawing his attention away from the retreating backsides of Merlin and Morgana.<p>

Putting his confusion about Merlin's rejection to the back of his mind, he nodded numbly to Sophia and started to unpack the strange picnic basket that Sophia had brought with her.

* * *

><p>"Ok. We are going to get my stupid brother to fall in love with you. To do that, we need to make you unavailable... After all, absence makes the heart grow fonder." Morgana exclaimed once they were out of earshot. "All you have to do Merlin, is avoid Arthur for a couple of days, but don't make it obvious. It should be easy!"<p>

Gaius frowned. "How exactly does that work?" he asked confusedly. Under the sea the Merfolk would look at each other and know if that person was their soulmate. Once they knew, they never left each other's side - they were like penguins - mating for life. Obviously Merlin was once again the exception to the rule, he had to be the one to break tradition...Again.

* * *

><p>Merlin, Morgana and Gaius returned to the Great Hall late that day, Morgana was laughing as they entered the room, and took a double take as she noticed Arthur laughing and smiling with Sophia - looking thoroughly enchanted by her. Merlin entered after her and frowned. Although no one else could see it, he saw the pale grey aura surrounding Arthur's body, indicating the some kind of enchantment had been placed on his person. Worried, he looked around the table to see if it was possible for anyone there to have cast an enchantment on him. Of course, he already had his suspicions, but there was no way for him to voice them to Morgana or Gaius without sounding jealous. He just couldn't figure out how Sophia had done it. He couldn't sense any kind of magical ability from her at all. Her brother on the other hand... There was something about him, he just couldn't quite figure it out. Most of the time he seemed like a normal man, but then there would be a moment where something changes, something so minuscule that Merlin didn't notice half the time.<p>

He sat down next to Morgana, and continued to watch the two visitors closely, whilst eating his..._FISH? _He couldn't eat fish. Especially not when it could be someone he knew. Looking down at the plate he blanched as he saw a fish that looked exactly like Lance (even though he knew it wasn't as he had just introduced him to Morgana) and refused to take a single bite.

Morgana looked at him in confusion before realising what it was that they were eating. "Chef Leon, is it possible for Merlin to have something non seafood-y to eat. He's allergic to seafood, you see." she asked the ginger chef who was watching anxiously. Leon looked at her and flushed slightly, his mouth agape as though he couldn't believe that THE Lady Morgana was talking to him.

"O-of course your Ladyship." the flustered Chef stuttered, rushing back to the kitchen to rustle up some kind of meat dish for Merlin.

Merlin watched Morgana stare after Chef Leon wistfully and smiled behind his hand. Morgana, noticing the smile on his face, furrowed her brow "What?" she hissed, aware of Uther's watchful gaze. He sniggered and motioned with his head towards the kitchen and wiggled his eyebrows before bursting into silent laughter. His laughter was cut short when he saw Arthur and Sophia giggling and whispering to each other. "Ew. This is revolting. She must have enchanted him or something, there's no way he would ever act like this otherwise!" she muttered, following Merlin's gaze.

Merlin looked at her shocked, and nodded his head slowly. Morgana groaned and slumped back in her chair.


	8. Chapter 8

Merlin collapsed onto his amazing four poster bed and stared up at the canopy dejectedly. _How could Arthur forget about me? _It had been a week since he had first come to the surface to be with Arthur and everything had been perfect - he had made friends with Morgana, he loved having legs, he didn't miss his voice as much - but there was just one thing missing.

Arthur.

He had spent every single day in the company of Sophia and Cenred, completely ignoring Merlin's existence. Merlin, Morgana and Gaius were starting to worry - everything was getting serious between Sophia and Arthur thanks to the enchantment that had been placed on him. They still had yet to find a cure or reversal of said enchantment, due to the Merlin's lacking vocals.

"Get up!" Morgana sang as she waltzed into his bedroom. Merlin raised an eyebrow before covering his face with his pillow. Morgana laughed and continued speaking. "Tonight, Merlin, tonight, we shall break this enchantment."

Merlin sat up, looking at her in disbelievingly. "I know what you're thinking, how are we going to do this if I, and by that I mean you, can't speak? Well I can't believe we hadn't thought of this sooner, but I can speak. I have magic. Why can't I break the enchantment?"

Merlin blinked. _Why hadn't we thought of that? _He looked up into Morgana's earnest eyes as a smile slowly spread across his face.

"Excellent. Well, for some reason Arthur's taking _her _out for a midnight walk or something stupid like that. Let's follow them!" Morgana smirked.

* * *

><p>Merlin frowned as he walked into a branch again. Somehow, Morgana's idea didn't seem so smart now that he was actually going through with it. Trekking through a forest in the dead of night? Yeah, he could think of many things he'd rather be doing. Sleeping. Swimming. Sleeping.<p>

He sighed as Morgana twirled around in her long velvet gown somehow managing to _still _look as regal as ever.

_Stupid bloody Arthur. Bloody prat had to go and get enchanted. Stupid dollophead. Why couldn't he just look at me? Clotpole._

Morgana paused as she came upon a clearing. It was a beautiful clearing, a black lake rippling in the moonlight surrounded by the silhouettes of the forest. She gaped at its sheer beauty, until the landscape was marred by the figures of Arthur and Sophia.

Merlin nudged her and gestured towards the couple. Morgana nodded and took in a deep breath, readying herself for the amount of magic that she would use. She stepped forward, ready and paused. "So what exactly do I have to do?" she grinned sheepishly at Merlin and Gaius.

Merlin face palmed. He gestured to Gaius to instruct her on what to say and do. "Okay Morgana, first you have to focus on your core, feel your magic build up and then grasp it with your mind. Then you have to say the enchantment óga ceolesand push all your magic towards Sophia. I'm not exactly sure what the spell does, but I'm pretty sure it will stop the enchantment."

Morgana nodded, blinking at the amount of information that had just been fired at her. She turned around and took in a deep breath. Looking up she saw Sophia lead Arthur into the water, the blonde's laughter echoing throughout the lake. Growling she focussed once more on her magic, feeling it's warmth spread through to her extremities, her fingers tingling at the feel of the magic.

As she focussed on her magic, Merlin watched anxiously from the trees, his eyes widening as he saw Sophia lead Arthur into the water.

Morgana opened her eyes suddenly, her irises glowing amber as she chanted the incantation repeatedly. The wind started to pick up, as the trees began to sway, buffeted by the sudden storm. As quickly as it had started, the wind died down. Morgana groaned and began to focus on her magic again. Merlin closed his eyes and reached out with his magic, searching for Morgana's. Feeling the warmth of Morgana's magical core, Merlin flexed with his wind and joined his magic with hers. Chanting the incantation again, Morgana's eyes turned amber once more as the trees began to sway again. The water of the lake began to rise and fall more violently, crashing against the banks. Sophia's eyes widened as the angry waves crashed over her head, and dragged her under. The water pushed and pulled against her, tossing her around like a rag doll before throwing her out of the lake and against a tree. There was a sickening crack as Sophia's head made contact with the trunk, and the spell keeping her in human form was broken. Morgana collapsed to her knees as she saw the eel's body flop to the ground lifelessly.

She gasped as she looked around frantically for Arthur, realizing too late that Arthur had been in the lake with Sophia.

Suddenly, Merlin's head broke the surface, water droplets falling around him as he swam towards the surface, carrying an unconscious Arthur alongside him. Pulling him across the dry ground, Merlin collapsed, his chest rising and falling as his breath slowly started to even out. Morgana and Gaius ran towards them, Morgana aiming for Arthur, her hands outstretched, ready to pummel him back to consciousness whilst Gaius scuttled over to Merlin, and checked him over for any injuries.

Arthur slowly stirred, his eyes fluttering open. "W-what happened?" he muttered clutching his head in pain. Looking around he frowned in confusion when he saw Morgana practically on top of him and Merlin lying next to him. Eyes widening anxiously he reached out towards the silent boy, "Merlin? Merlin wake up! Please wake up..." he choked out.


End file.
